We’ve updated the Adafruit Learning System with a new feature that may be useful to those of you that don’t like clicking!  Single page view is the newest addition to the learning system.  We think the best default is still the guided navigation, as each page in the tutorials are specifically designed as a step in the process, but not everyone learns in the same way.

We hope this latest update to the Learning System will be another useful tool for you to learn all about electronics, wearables, and more.  If you have any suggestions for features, feel free to leave them in the comments below!

The latest version of the Adafruit webIDE now supports the BeagleBone and BeagleBone Black.  We’ve been working out many of the issues with this installer the last few days, and it appears ready to be released into the wild.  The installer is specifically designed to work with the default Angstrom Linux distribution that is pre-installed on the BeagleBone’s.  You may want to update to the latest version of Angstrom prior to installing the webIDE as well.

You can find the instructions on how to install it in the Adafruit Learning System’s webIDE tutorial.  We’ve also created a new installation video to help as well:

If you run into any issues with installing the webIDE on the BeagleBone, or with any issues running the webIDE, please open a ticket in the issues section of our GitHub repository.

Make your logo light up with this simple Converse sneaker mod. All you need is EL panel and an inverter tucked into the tongue of your shoe to get the stars in your Chuck Taylors glowing. Two styles! Watch the video on YouTube (please subscribe!) or Vimeo, and catch the complete tutorial on the Adafruit Learning System.

Tutorial: Character LCD System Monitor @ Adafruit Learning System

This guide walks through the process of assembling and configuring our LCD displays with USB/serial backpack and stand as a realtime system monitor. These displays are great for monitoring the health and status of “headless” systems such as servers, small Raspberry Pi installations, or as an auxiliary information display on your regular computer. You can get one of our cute acrylic stands in the Adafruit shop.

Learn more!

This is a very simple FLORA project with no soldering– a single NeoPixel lights up on an embroidered angler fish on a pair of shorts. The main board is stitched on the front of the design, in the belly of the fish. A snap is used on the fin as a digital switch, triggering a color change in the pixel in the angler’s lure. Follow the circuit diagram to stitch up this circuit, and tuck the battery in the pocket.

Watch the video on YouTube (please subscribe!) or Vimeo, and catch the complete angler fish embroidery guide on the Adafruit Learning System.

Every Wednesday is Wearable Wednesday here at Adafruit! We’re bringing you the blinkiest, most fashionable, innovative, and useful wearables from around the web and in our own original projects featuring our wearable Arduino-compatible platform, FLORA. Be sure to post up your wearables projects in the forums or send us a link and you might be featured here on Wearable Wednesday!

Tutorial: 1.8″ TFT Display Breakout and Shield @ The Adafruit Learning System.

This tutorial is for our 1.8″ diagonal TFT display. It comes packaged as a breakout or as an Arduino shield. Both styles have a microSD interface for storing files and images. These are both great ways to add a small, colorful and bright display to any project. Since the display uses 4-wire SPI to communicate and has its own pixel-addressable frame buffer, it requires little memory and only a few pins. This makes it ideal for use with small microcontrollers.

The shield version plugs directly into an Arduino with no wiring required. The breakout version can be used with every kind of microcontroller.

Learn more.

Tutorial: Affordable HAL 9000 Replica @ The Adafruit Learning System. Why yes, Dave. As a matter of fact I CAN do that.

The Pareto Principle — also known as the 80/20 Rule — is the idea (originally from economics, but now applied in many ways) that 80% of results stem from 20% of the effort.

Devoted film fans will spend countless hours and hundreds of dollars (occasionally even thousands) to create flawless replica props for their personal collections. The iconic eye of HAL 9000 from 2001: a Space Odyssey is one such object of desire…popular enough that detailed (and pricey) licensed reproductions exist. This is cool stuff! But if we relax our criteria just a bit, you or I can turn out a pretty decent, recognizable facsimile in a weekend for just a small fraction of the cost. The 80/20 rule in action!

We’re not selling a prop or even a kit here…that would raise a big licensing stink, so please don’t ask. What follows are some ideas on creating one yourself. Much like our not-a-Back-to-the-Future-clock project, the concept came about when customers noted that a component already in our shop resembled an unrelated film item — in this case, our Massive Red Arcade Button and HAL’s distinctive lens.

Learn more.

Low Level Magstripe Reading @ The Adafruit Learning System.

In order to get raw parsed data out of a magstripe reader, we first experiemented with a MAGTEK Centurion Keyboard Encoder (PN-21073062). We found that although we could get all 3 tracks of data, it was not possible to have it parsed out. We then purchased a raw magstripe decoder head with track 1 reading, the Omron V3A-6 (Datasheet here). By writing some parity checking code, we were able to read the raw data off of the magstripe, and parse it into output that would be ‘typed out’ as an emulated keyboard using a USB-enabled Teensy. An Arduino can also be used, and the data would be output as Serial which may also be useful.

Learn more.

Updated tutorial: TV-B-Gone Kit @ The Adafruit Learning System.

Tired of all those LCD TVs everywhere?
Want a break from advertisements while you’re trying to eat?
Want to zap screens from across the street?

The new Universal TV-B-Gone kit is what you need! This ultra-high-power version of the popular TV-B-Gone is fun to make and even more fun to use.

Built in co-operation with Mitch Altman (the inventor of the TV-B-Gone) this kit is a great way to build something truly useful!

Learn more!

You’ll wanna pull up a really comfy chair before you dive into this one, but have you ever found yourself digging through Eagle’s 317,424 different canned footprints, hoping one is kinda, sorta, almost, maybe good enough for that new sensor you found on Digikey?  Shamelessly dig and despair no more!  … Our new mammoth guide on creating manufacturable footprints in Eagle is here to ween you off that nasty canned footprint habit, and get you firmly on the road to non-dependency!

We have a new alpha release of the Rapsberry Pi WebIDE ready to go.  This latest version features a few major features requested by users of the WebIDE.

We now have a new offline mode that you can enable with an –offline flag when you install the WebIDE.  This mode allows you to bypass using Bitbucket or Github, and should work when not connected to the internet.

We also have a new experimental GitHub mode that allows you to sign in with your GitHub account.  This feature is for advanced users that want to use GitHub as their provider.  This can be enabled with the –github flag during installation.  Please note that GitHub mode does not do some of the automated things (git ssh key setup, etc) that the default installation mode will do.

You can now refresh the left navigator from within the WebIDE, as well as manually update any repositories you have by right-clicking on them, and choosing the option to “Update Repository”.

The full list of new changes for the 0.3.7 version of the WebIDE are as follows:

• Github support.
  • Ability to enable with –github as the default
  • Advanced setting.
  • Requires manual ssh key setup as of yet.
  • Most commands are treated as manual mode for now (manual commits, etc).
• New Offline mode
  • Ability to install with –offline as the default
  • need to manually commit, and push changes (similar to the manual git setting)
  • Bypasses bitbucket OAuth
• Ability to refresh directories from within the navigator
• New option to clone repositories without updating remote to bitbucket
• New right-click context menu option to update repositories from remote (origin/master for now)
• New Report Bug Link added to footer
• New confirmation dialog for navigating away from unsaved changes…Save Files/Don’t Save/Cancel
• Editor is set to readOnly for any files that shouldn’t change (README, update notes), including empty editor window while navigating.
• Deleting a file or project will now also delete a corresponding scheduled job from the queue.
• Errors cloning repositories are sent to the front-end now.
• Error handling for most git commands now. Notifications visible in webide for failures.
• New Error pages for any issues with the system failing to show pages. Links to ALS WebIDE FAQ for help.
• New Error page specifically for OAuth failures. Adds a button to execute a script to help set the date and time.
• Attempt to set the date on the Pi during installation to prevent OAuth errors.
• Creating files and folders will automatically open them in the editor and navigator.
• Uploaded files will always use the current working directory, instead of uploading to the parent directory now.
• git pull commands are now using the quiet (-q) flag.
• Editor setting for supporting adding a Make link in the editor action bar if a Makefile is detected in the cwd. Not enabled by default.

Upgrading from 0.2.0 and higher

You can upgrade from 0.2.0 and higher from within the editor.  If you’d like the increased speed using the new node binaries, you’ll want to uninstall/install again.

1. Ensure that your code is safely saved in your repository at bitbucket.org.
2. Login to the editor.
3. Click Update in the upper right.
4. Update should take about a minute.

Upgrading From 0.1.9 and lower

To install this new editor, you’ll want to completely remove your old editor, and run the installation script again.

1. Ensure that your code is safely saved in your repository at bitbucket.org.
2. Uninstall using the following script
   1. curl https://raw.github.com/adafruit/Adafruit-WebIDE/release/scripts/uninstall.sh | sh
3. Either make sure there are no rogue node processes running, or restart your Pi.
4. Install the new and improved WebIDE
5. curl https://raw.github.com/adafruit/Adafruit-WebIDE/alpha/scripts/install.sh | sudo sh

The first is a footer with some useful links and information, including a count of how many tutorials are now published (208 as of this post!).

Next, on each page view we’ve added some more navigational links that can help with finding more guides in the category you’re interested in.

Also, at the bottom of each page, we now show the last updated date and time on each page.  Many of our guides are not time-sensitive, but it can be useful to determine if there have been updates since the last time you visited.  It can also be useful to help determine if we’ve made an error, or if the content is outdated.  In the latter cases, please leave feedback using the link in the left sidebar.

In addition, we’ve cleaned up various aspects of the page layouts so that they’re easier to read, and more user friendly (such as changing next page/previous page into actual page titles for navigational guides).

One of the less noticeable things is that we’ve increased the max-width allowed on pages so that you can see more content if you’re on a monitor that supports a wider resolution.

Here is the full changelog:

• New Footer displaying more information that may be useful
• Show last updated date and time on each page
• Use page titles for Next/Previous
• Add category breadcrumbs bar to each page view
• Increase max-width of content areas
• Clean up UI elements, such as alerts, code elements, tables, and modal overlays
• Clean up search results page, allow keyboard navigation in search bar

Let us know what you think, and add comments for any features you’d like that we’re still missing!

Make a Raspberry Pi WiFi Radio @ The Adafruit Learning System.

Raspberry Pi, the little wonder-puter that’s taken the world by storm, is so affordable that we can create nifty single-purpose “appliances” around them without shame. Here’s our take on one of the more popular such applications: internet streaming media, the Pandora music service specifically.

With the addition of a small LCD, a few buttons and a USB wireless network adapter, the Raspberry Pi becomes an affordable self-contained music streamer that can be moved to any room of the house…wherever you need your tunes at the moment. Just connect power and speakers or headphones.

Learn more!

Bedazzler @ The Adafruit Learning System.

Our first open source Homeland Security non-lethal weapon project – The “THE BEDAZZLER: A Do-it-yourself Handheld LED-Incapacitator”.

After attending a conference where the $1 million “sea-sick flashlight” (named “THE DAZZLER”) was demonstrated by the US Dept. of Homeland Security, we decided to create our own version. For under $250, you can build your own dazzler and we’ve released the source code, schematics and PCB files to make it easy. A great Arduino project for people who really like blinking LEDs. We also added in a mode selection so you can put it into some pretty color-swirl modes, great for raves and parties!

This is another (old) tutorial we’ve moved over to the new learning system, enjoy!

Tutorial: Game Grrl @ The Adafruit Learning System.

Working on my thesis…when I really just wanted to play some Arkanoid. Unfortunately, my original NES was busted a long time ago (blinky), and furthermore I didnt even have a TV. Lucky for me I had a couple things kicking around my workbench that did the trick. This is a design for a very simple, very inexpensive portable Nintendo gaming system with built in games. Theres no provision for cartridges, but its comfy to play.

By Ladyada, back in the day’ – an oldie but a goodie

Tutorial: Large Pi-based Thermometer and Clock @ The Adafruit Learning System.

This project combines a whole heap of modules to enable a Raspberry Pi to power a large 1.2 inch 4 digit 7 segment display. A small switch switches the display between showing the temperature and the current time. The project uses a real-time clock (RTC) to ensure that the Pi always has the correct time, even if it is not connected to the Internet.

Learn more!

Make an oversize plush game controller that actually works! Use conductive fabric and a Flora board to stitch up a capacitive touch sensing circuit. The controller acts like a computer keyboard, allowing you to play all your favorite old school games on emulator sites online.

This is an all-sew project with no batteries, making it great for beginners and even kids to try. Read the complete tutorial to build your own! Source code and pattern included.

Special assistance creating this project provided by Risa Rose.

Every Wednesday is Wearable Wednesday here at Adafruit! We’re bringing you the blinkiest, most fashionable, innovative, and useful wearables from around the web and in our own original projects featuring our wearable Arduino-compatible platform, FLORA. Be sure to post up your wearables projects in the forums or send us a link and you might be featured here on Wearable Wednesday!

Selecting an Arduino!.

There are many different Arduino and Arduino Compatible microcontroller boards. Which one is right for your needs? This guide will help you to select a board that best fits your project requirements and/or level of expertise. Whether you are just learning the ropes or have specific project requirements in mind, the Adafruit Arduino Selection Guide can help you to make the right choice.

Learn more.

Adam Wishneusky shared his quick Raspberry Pi clock project using a whole bunch of Adafruit gear.

Used in this project is the Raspberry Pi Starter Pack, Miniature WiFi Module, 4-Digit 7-Segment Display w/I2C Backpack, and of course the awesome Raspberry Pi WebIDE.

Each Friday is PiDay here at Adafruit, be sure to check out our posts, tutorials and new Raspberry Pi related products. Have you tried the new “Adafruit Raspberry Pi Educational Linux Distro” ? It’s our tweaked distribution for teaching electronics using the Raspberry Pi. But wait, there’s more! Try our new Raspberry Pi WebIDE! The easiest way to learn programming on a Raspberry Pi.

We now have Raspberry Pi Model B with 512MB RAM in stock and shipping now!

How to – Use the Raspberry Pi as a Media Center @ The Adafruit Learning System.

The low cost and full HD video playing capabilities of the Raspberry Pi make it ideal for building your own media center. This will allow you to play music and videos through your Raspberry Pi onto a TV.

Learn more!

Using an IR Remote with a Raspberry Pi Media Center @ The Adafruit Learning System.

In this tutorial, you will learn how to use an Infrared remote with a Raspberry Pi configured as a media center. The IR receiver is attached to the GPIO connector on the Raspberry Pi.

Learn more.

TMP006 Infrared Sensor Breakout @ The Adafruit Learning System.

Unlike most temperature sensors, the TMP006 does not require contact with the object it is measuring. It uses a very sensitive thermopile to measure the infrared energy being emitted from the surface of the object.

This sensor works best with objects that are good emitters of infrared radiation. The ideal emitter is a completely non-reflective surface or “black body”. Black anodized aluminum or cast iron are pretty good emitters. Polished metal surfaces are very poor emitters, but can usually be turned into a good emitter with a bit of flat-black paint.

The TMP006 works with 3v to 5v, so it can be used with most microcontrollers without the need for a level shifter. It connects via the i2c bus and is addressable so you can have up to 8 TMP006 sensors on the same bus.

Learn more.

Make a twinkling accent for your updo! This tutorial will teach you to make a ribbon bow and simple LED circuit. One Adafruit LED Sewing Kit has enough supplies for two bows, so make this project with a friend! The included LEDs contain a tiny chip that flickers the LEDs to simulate a candle’s glow, so all we have to do is power them up! Check out the complete candle flicker LED hair bow tutorial at the Adafruit Learning System and watch the video on YouTube (please subscribe!) and Vimeo.

photos by john de cristofaro / adafruit

Every Wednesday is Wearable Wednesday here at Adafruit! We’re bringing you the blinkiest, most fashionable, innovative, and useful wearables from around the web and in our own original projects featuring our wearable Arduino-compatible platform, FLORA. Be sure to post up your wearables projects in the forums or send us a link and you might be featured here on Wearable Wednesday!

How to Find Hidden COM Ports @ The Adafruit Learning System.

This mini tutorial will show you how you can find and uninstall all those extra COM ports you may have registered from years of microcontroller-hacking.

You may have noticed that every time a new FTDI-based board is plugged in, you get a new COM port. You might also get new COM port assignment with adapters, etc. Eventually you can get into pretty high COM port numbers and that can be really annoying! For example, on my 6-month old Windows 7 install I’m already up to COM38!

Learn more!

Updated Tutorial: Adjustable Breadboard Power Supply Kit @ Adafruit Learning System

This project details the design of a very low dropout adjustable power supply. A good power supply is essential to electronic projects. While there are many existing designs for adjustable power supplies, this one makes improvements that make it more useful for hobby designs.

Learn More

Updated Tutorial: Ice Tube Clock Kit @ Adafruit Learning System

Learn how to build your very own Russian vacuum fluorescent display tube clock.

Learn More

Ever look at a pile of 10mm LEDs and think “mmm, they look just like gumdrops!” These LED gummy candies are so realistic they’ll have your friends fooled at first, then delighted that they are actually edible (and delicious). Head over to the LED Gummy Candy tutorial at the Adafruit Learning System, and watch the video on YouTube (please subscribe!) and Vimeo.

The legs are 3D printed in PLA (corn-based plastic) and they function like toothpicks, we inserted them while the gummies we cooling. It should be noted that gummies are a low-temperature candy, do not use 3D printed parts with any high-temp hard candies!

You can now earn a ‘Sensor Hacker’ badge at DIY.org.  All you need to do is complete three challenges with a sensor and submit a picture of your project.

 Sensors detect conditions in the environment, like temperature, light, sound, magnetism and motion. Sensor Hackers use these detectors to build devices that help us understand and interact with the world.

Trying to think of a good idea for your project?  Check out the many awesome sensor related guides on the Adafruit Learning System.

Arduino Lesson 17. Email Sending Movement Detector @ The Adafruit Learning System.

In this lesson you will learn how to use a PIR movement detector with an Arduino and to have the Arduino communicate with a Python program running on your computer to send an email whenever movement is detected by the sensor.

Learn more!

More lessons:
Arduino Lesson 16. Stepper Motors.
Arduino Lesson 15. Motor Reversing.
Arduino Lesson 14. Servo Motors.
Arduino Lesson 13. DC Motors.
Arduino Lessons 11 & 12. LCD Displays (Part 1 & 2).
Arduino Lesson 10. Making Sounds.
Arduino Lesson 9. Sensing Light.
Arduino Lesson 8. Analog Inputs.
Arduino Lesson 7. Make an RGB LED Fader.
Arduino Lesson 6. Digital Inputs.
Arduino Lesson 5. The Serial Monitor.
Arduino Lesson 4. Eight LEDs and a Shift Register.
Arduino Lesson 3. RGB LEDs.
Arduino Lesson 2. LEDs.
Arduino Lesson 1. Blink.
Arduino Lesson 0. Getting Started with Arduino.
All About Arduino Libraries.

Tutorial: Multi-Cell LiPo Charging @ The Adafruit Learning System. How to charge your multi-cell LiPo packs!

Lithium Polymer Batteries pack a lot of power in a small package. But they can be tricky to charge safely. The Adafruit LiPo Chargers all provide a charging cycle designed to safely charge 3.7v Lithium Polymer cells. But what if your project needs more than 3.7v?

Simply pumping more voltage into a multi-cell pack is risky. If the cells become unbalanced, some will end up with more of a charge than others. When put into service, the cells with the higher charge will end up working harder than the other cells. This will have an adverse effect on the capacity of the pack. Over time, it can result in damage and/or failure of one or more cells. And LiPo failures have been known to be quite spectacular.

Learn more!

Updated tutorial! Laser Cut PCB Stencils @ The Adafruit Learning System.

How to Make PCB Solder Paste Stencils!

We have a new alpha release of the Rapsberry Pi WebIDE ready to go.  This latest version includes a few bug fixes as well as some new settings that allow you to customize the editor.  The biggest new setting is one that allows you to manually git commit and push to Bitbucket when you’re ready.  You can also add a comment when doing so, to make it easier to track your changes.

The new changes for the 0.3.3 version of the WebIDE are as follows:

• Add four new settings to the Settings Page
  • Use Soft Tabs (on or off)
  • Tab Size (2, 4, 6, or 8)
  • Show Invisibles (on or off) (shows whitespaces, tabs and spaces, etc)
  • Manual Git Commits and Pushes
• Add ability to manually commit and push file changes. This includes adding comments.
  • Do a git status on the file to check if it is in need of a commit and push, and populate editor bar.
• Set editor defaults to use soft tabs with a setting of 4 tab size, and show invisibles off
• Add a default .gitignore file to reduce chance of .pyc files getting pushed out to bitbucket.
• Fix for the terminal getting out of sync with the editor
• Prevent overwriting of Adafruit project files
• Update manual installation instructions
• Install node.js as part of installation again.

Upgrading from 0.2.0 and higher

You can upgrade from 0.2.0 and higher from within the editor.  If you’d like the increased speed using the new node binaries, you’ll want to uninstall/install again.

1. Ensure that your code is safely saved in your repository at bitbucket.org.
2. Login to the editor.
3. Click Update in the upper right.
4. Update should take about a minute.

Upgrading From 0.1.9 and lower

To install this new editor, you’ll want to completely remove your old editor, and run the installation script again.

1. Ensure that your code is safely saved in your repository at bitbucket.org.
2. Uninstall using the following script
   1. curl https://raw.github.com/adafruit/Adafruit-WebIDE/release/scripts/uninstall.sh | sh
3. Either make sure there are no rogue node processes running, or restart your Pi.
4. Install the new and improved WebIDE
5. curl https://raw.github.com/adafruit/Adafruit-WebIDE/alpha/scripts/install.sh | sudo sh

Get started with the Flora luminosity sensor with our new Flora Lux Sensor tutorial on the Adafruit Learning System. Watch the video on YouTube (please subscribe!) or Vimeo, and then build your own light-reactive wearable electronics project!

Add light-reactive sensing to your wearable Flora project with this high precision Lux sensor. The TSL2561 luminosity sensor is an advanced digital light sensor, ideal for use in a wide range of light situations. Compared to low cost CdS cells, this sensor is more precise, allowing for exact lux calculations and can be configured for different gain/timing ranges to detect light ranges from up to 0.1 – 40,000+ Lux on the fly. The best part of this sensor is that it contains both infrared and full spectrum diodes! That means you can separately measure infrared, full-spectrum or human-visible light. Most sensors can only detect one or the other, which does not accurately represent what human eyes see (since we cannot perceive the IR light that is detected by most photo diodes).

The sensor has a digital (I2C) interface. Attaching it to the flora is simple: line up the sensor so its adjacent to the SDA/SCL pins and sew conductive thread from the 3V, SDA, SCL and GND pins. They line up perfectly so you will not have any crossed lines. You can only connect one lux sensor to your Flora, but you can connect other I2C sensors/outputs by using the set of SCL/SDA pins on the opposite side. The current draw is extremely low, about 0.5mA when actively sensing, and less than 15 uA when in powerdown mode.

Every Wednesday is Wearable Wednesday here at Adafruit! We’re bringing you the blinkiest, most fashionable, innovative, and useful wearables from around the web and in our own original projects featuring our wearable Arduino-compatible platform, FLORA. Be sure to post up your wearables projects in the forums or send us a link and you might be featured here on Wearable Wednesday!

Adafruit’s Raspberry Pi Lesson 13. Power Control @ The Adafruit Learning System. Control 110V devices from your Raspberry Pi.

The Raspberry Pi can make a great home automation controller. But to be really useful, it needs to be able to turn electrical appliances and lights on and off. That means it needs to be able to control 110V safely. In this lesson, you will combine the PIR sensor from [Lesson 12] with the Powerswitch Tail 2 module from Adafruit, to automatically switch something on when movement is detected.

Learn more.

Adafruit’s Raspberry Pi Lesson 12. Sensing Movement @ The Adafruit Learning System. Sense movement and doors opening with your Raspberry Pi.

In this lesson, you will learn how to use the digital inputs on the GPIO connector with a door sensor and a PIR motion detector. In this lesson, we will concentrate on sensing movement and activation of the door switch. In Lesson 13 we will build on this security sensing to have the Pi use a digital output to control the power to an electrical appliance when movement is detected.

Learn more!

Adafruit’s Raspberry Pi Lesson 11. DS18B20 Temperature Sensing @ The Adafruit Learning System.

The Occidentalis Linux distribution for Raspberry Pi (and Raspbian as of Dec 2012) includes support for the DS18B20 1-wire temperature sensor. These sensors come in a small three pin package like a transistor and are accurate digital devices.

In this lesson, you will learn how to use a DS18B20 with the Raspberry Pi to take temperature readings.

Since the Raspberry Pi has no ADC (Analog to Digital Converter), it cannot directly use an analog temperature sensor like the TMP36, making the DS18B20 a good choice for temperature sensing.

Learn more!

OAdafruit’s Raspberry Pi Lesson 10. Stepper Motors @ The Adafruit Learning System. Control a stepper motor with a L293D or ULN2803 -

Stepper motors fall somewhere in between a regular DC motor (Lesson 9) and a servo motor (Lesson 8]). They have the advantage that they can be positioned accurately, moved forward or backwards one ‘step’ at a time, but they can also rotate continuously.

In this lesson you will learn how to control a stepper motor using your Raspberry Pi and the same L293D motor control chip that you used with the DC motor in Lesson 9.

The Lesson will also show you how to use an alternative driver chip, the ULN2803.

For this project, it does not really matter if you use a L293D or a ULN2803. The lower cost of the ULN2803 and the four spare outputs, that you could use for something else, probably make it the best choice if you don’t have either chip.

The motor is quite low power and suffers less from the surges in current than DC motors and servos (which use DC motors). This project will therefore work okay powered from the 5V line of the Raspberry Pi, as long as the Pi is powered from a good supply of at least 1A.

Learn more!

Adafruit’s Raspberry Pi Lesson 9. Controlling a DC Motor @ The Adafruit Learning System. Drive a DC motor forward and in reverse with variable speed -

This lesson describes how to control both the speed and direction of a DC motor using Python and a L293D chip.  In Lesson 8, we used the Pi to generate pulses to control the position of a servo motor. In this lesson we use pulses to control the speed of a regular DC motor and the L293D motor control chip to reverse the direction of the current through the motor and hence the direction in which it turns.

Learn more!

Adafruit’s Raspberry Pi Lesson 8. Using a Servo Motor @ The Adafruit Learning System.

This lesson describes how to control a single servo motor using Python. Servo motors are controlled by pulses of varying lengths. This requires fairly accurate timing. The Raspberry Pi has one pin that generates pulses in hardware, without having to rely on the operating system. Occidentalis includes an interface to make use of this pin for controlling a servo motor.

Learn more!

Adafruit’s Raspberry Pi Lesson 7. Remote Control with VNC @ The Adafruit Learning System.

In this lesson we will explain how to install and use VNC on your raspberry Pi. This will allow you to see your Raspberry Pi’s desktop remotely in a graphical way, using the mouse as if you were sitting in front of your Pi.

Connecting to a Pi like this can save on desktop clutter, and the problem of having multiple keyboards and mice all over the place. It also means you can put your Pi somewhere else on the network, but still control it.

Learn more.

Tutorial: Adafruit’s Raspberry Pi Lesson 6. Using SSH @ The Adafruit Learning System.

In this lesson you will learn how to remote control your Raspberry Pi over your local network using Secure Shell (SSH). A common reason for remote controlling your Pi from another computer us that you may be using your Pi solely to control some electronics and therefore not need a keyboard, mouse and monitor, other than for setting it up. It also can just save on desktop clutter, and the problem of having multiple keyboards and mice all over the place.

Learn more.

Adafruit’s Raspberry Pi Lesson 5. Using a Console Cable @ The Adafruit Learning System.

In this lesson you will learn how to remote control your Raspberry Pi with a console cable. The great advantage of connecting this way is that it can even supply the power for your Pi and you do not need keyboard, mouse or display attached to the Pi to log into it.

You will need to install terminal emulation software (ZOC) and also USB drivers for the Console Lead. ZOC is available for Mac and Windows and allows you to communicate through a serial port from your Mac or PC to another computer – in this case the Raspberry Pi.

The Raspberry Pi uses its built-in serial port to allow devices to connect to its console and issue commands just as if you were logged in.

In the next lesson, we will look at another way of doing much the same thing but over a local network using something called SSH.

Learn more.

Adafruit’s Raspberry Pi Lesson 4. GPIO Setup @ The Adafruit Learning System. Learn how to setup your Pi for Hacking Electronics!

One of the great things about the Raspberry Pi is that it has a GPIO connector to which you can attach external hardware.

Learn more!

Tutorial: Adafruit’s Raspberry Pi Lesson 3. Network Setup @ The Adafruit Learning System.

One of the first things that you will want to do is to get your Raspberry Pi connected up to the Internet.

In this lesson, you will learn how to:

• Connect using an Ethernet cable
• Use a WiFi adapter with both Raspbian and Occidentalis
• Find out the IP address of your Raspberry Pi

Learn more!

Adafruit’s Raspberry Pi Lesson 2. First Time Configuration @ THe Adafruit Learning System. Set up your Raspberry Pi for the first time!

In the first lesson of this series, we showed you how to prepare an SD card containing an operating system for your Raspberry Pi. In this lesson, we will show you how to setup your Raspberry Pi the first time you boot it up.

We do this using a tool called Raspi-Config that runs automatically the first time you boot your Raspberry Pi. This starts before the windowing system and so you have to use the cursor keys and Return key to navigate the menu system.

It is a bit like adjusting the BIOS settings on a PC, once you have things right, you probably won’t need it again.

We will start with the options that are most important and then look at some of the other options that you may wish to configure.

Learn more!

Adafruit’s Raspberry Pi Lesson 1. Preparing and SD Card for your Raspberry Pi @ The Adafruit Learning System. A new series of of tutorials here at Adafruit by the prolific Simon Monk!

When you buy a Raspberry Pi, it may or may not be sold with an SD card. The SD card is important because this is where the Raspberry Pi keeps its operating system and is also where you will store your documents and programs.  

Even if your Pi came with an SD card with the operating system on, it is a good idea to update it to the latest version, as improvements and bug fixes are going in all the time. Since putting the operating system onto an SD card wipes everything else off the card, it is worth considering using a USB flash drive for your documents, so that when you install a new version of the operating system, you dont’ have the complication of copying them off somewhere self before reformatting the SD card.

If your Pi did not come with an SD card then the minimum size you should get is 4GB, but buy a bigger SD card if you think you will need the space.
This lesson shows you how to create an SD card for your Raspberry Pi.

Learn more!

This tutorial is about batteries (if you couldn’t tell) – and how to decide which batteries will run your project best! I’ll cover both rechargeable and “one shot” batteries, trying to cover everything I’ve learned about these surprisingly-complex electronic components!

Learn more!

One of our favorite tools in the Adafruit factory is our laser cutter. A laser cutter is a tool made of an XY plotter with a bed about 12″x24″ in size. Instead of a plotting pen, a laser beam is fired so that any shape can be cut out of a flat piece of plastic, wood, fabric, leather, etc. Even though laser cutters can only cut out of flat materials they are surprisingly versatile. By snapping together pieces and gluing or screwing parts together a full enclosure can be made.

Learn more!

Adafruit’s Raspberry Pi Lesson 12. Sensing Movement @ The Adafruit Learning System. Sense movement and doors opening with your Raspberry Pi.

In this lesson, you will learn how to use the digital inputs on the GPIO connector with a door sensor and a PIR motion detector. In this lesson, we will concentrate on sensing movement and activation of the door switch. In Lesson 13 we will build on this security sensing to have the Pi use a digital output to control the power to an electrical appliance when movement is detected.

Learn more!

Adafruit’s Raspberry Pi Lesson 11. DS18B20 Temperature Sensing @ The Adafruit Learning System.

The Occidentalis Linux distribution for Raspberry Pi (and Raspbian as of Dec 2012) includes support for the DS18B20 1-wire temperature sensor. These sensors come in a small three pin package like a transistor and are accurate digital devices.

In this lesson, you will learn how to use a DS18B20 with the Raspberry Pi to take temperature readings.

Since the Raspberry Pi has no ADC (Analog to Digital Converter), it cannot directly use an analog temperature sensor like the TMP36, making the DS18B20 a good choice for temperature sensing.

Learn more!

OAdafruit’s Raspberry Pi Lesson 10. Stepper Motors @ The Adafruit Learning System. Control a stepper motor with a L293D or ULN2803 -

Stepper motors fall somewhere in between a regular DC motor (Lesson 9) and a servo motor (Lesson 8]). They have the advantage that they can be positioned accurately, moved forward or backwards one ‘step’ at a time, but they can also rotate continuously.

In this lesson you will learn how to control a stepper motor using your Raspberry Pi and the same L293D motor control chip that you used with the DC motor in Lesson 9.

The Lesson will also show you how to use an alternative driver chip, the ULN2803.

For this project, it does not really matter if you use a L293D or a ULN2803. The lower cost of the ULN2803 and the four spare outputs, that you could use for something else, probably make it the best choice if you don’t have either chip.

The motor is quite low power and suffers less from the surges in current than DC motors and servos (which use DC motors). This project will therefore work okay powered from the 5V line of the Raspberry Pi, as long as the Pi is powered from a good supply of at least 1A.

Learn more!

Adafruit’s Raspberry Pi Lesson 9. Controlling a DC Motor @ The Adafruit Learning System. Drive a DC motor forward and in reverse with variable speed -

This lesson describes how to control both the speed and direction of a DC motor using Python and a L293D chip.  In Lesson 8, we used the Pi to generate pulses to control the position of a servo motor. In this lesson we use pulses to control the speed of a regular DC motor and the L293D motor control chip to reverse the direction of the current through the motor and hence the direction in which it turns.

Learn more!

Adafruit’s Raspberry Pi Lesson 8. Using a Servo Motor @ The Adafruit Learning System.

This lesson describes how to control a single servo motor using Python. Servo motors are controlled by pulses of varying lengths. This requires fairly accurate timing. The Raspberry Pi has one pin that generates pulses in hardware, without having to rely on the operating system. Occidentalis includes an interface to make use of this pin for controlling a servo motor.

Learn more!

Adafruit’s Raspberry Pi Lesson 7. Remote Control with VNC @ The Adafruit Learning System.

In this lesson we will explain how to install and use VNC on your raspberry Pi. This will allow you to see your Raspberry Pi’s desktop remotely in a graphical way, using the mouse as if you were sitting in front of your Pi.

Connecting to a Pi like this can save on desktop clutter, and the problem of having multiple keyboards and mice all over the place. It also means you can put your Pi somewhere else on the network, but still control it.

Learn more.

Tutorial: Adafruit’s Raspberry Pi Lesson 6. Using SSH @ The Adafruit Learning System.

In this lesson you will learn how to remote control your Raspberry Pi over your local network using Secure Shell (SSH). A common reason for remote controlling your Pi from another computer us that you may be using your Pi solely to control some electronics and therefore not need a keyboard, mouse and monitor, other than for setting it up. It also can just save on desktop clutter, and the problem of having multiple keyboards and mice all over the place.

Learn more.

Adafruit’s Raspberry Pi Lesson 5. Using a Console Cable @ The Adafruit Learning System.

In this lesson you will learn how to remote control your Raspberry Pi with a console cable. The great advantage of connecting this way is that it can even supply the power for your Pi and you do not need keyboard, mouse or display attached to the Pi to log into it.

You will need to install terminal emulation software (ZOC) and also USB drivers for the Console Lead. ZOC is available for Mac and Windows and allows you to communicate through a serial port from your Mac or PC to another computer – in this case the Raspberry Pi.

The Raspberry Pi uses its built-in serial port to allow devices to connect to its console and issue commands just as if you were logged in.

In the next lesson, we will look at another way of doing much the same thing but over a local network using something called SSH.

Learn more.

Adafruit’s Raspberry Pi Lesson 4. GPIO Setup @ The Adafruit Learning System. Learn how to setup your Pi for Hacking Electronics!

One of the great things about the Raspberry Pi is that it has a GPIO connector to which you can attach external hardware.

Learn more!

Tutorial: Adafruit’s Raspberry Pi Lesson 3. Network Setup @ The Adafruit Learning System.

One of the first things that you will want to do is to get your Raspberry Pi connected up to the Internet.

In this lesson, you will learn how to:

• Connect using an Ethernet cable
• Use a WiFi adapter with both Raspbian and Occidentalis
• Find out the IP address of your Raspberry Pi

Learn more!

Adafruit’s Raspberry Pi Lesson 2. First Time Configuration @ THe Adafruit Learning System. Set up your Raspberry Pi for the first time!

In the first lesson of this series, we showed you how to prepare an SD card containing an operating system for your Raspberry Pi. In this lesson, we will show you how to setup your Raspberry Pi the first time you boot it up.

We do this using a tool called Raspi-Config that runs automatically the first time you boot your Raspberry Pi. This starts before the windowing system and so you have to use the cursor keys and Return key to navigate the menu system.

It is a bit like adjusting the BIOS settings on a PC, once you have things right, you probably won’t need it again.

We will start with the options that are most important and then look at some of the other options that you may wish to configure.

Learn more!

Adafruit’s Raspberry Pi Lesson 1. Preparing and SD Card for your Raspberry Pi @ The Adafruit Learning System. A new series of of tutorials here at Adafruit by the prolific Simon Monk!

When you buy a Raspberry Pi, it may or may not be sold with an SD card. The SD card is important because this is where the Raspberry Pi keeps its operating system and is also where you will store your documents and programs.  

Even if your Pi came with an SD card with the operating system on, it is a good idea to update it to the latest version, as improvements and bug fixes are going in all the time. Since putting the operating system onto an SD card wipes everything else off the card, it is worth considering using a USB flash drive for your documents, so that when you install a new version of the operating system, you dont’ have the complication of copying them off somewhere self before reformatting the SD card.

If your Pi did not come with an SD card then the minimum size you should get is 4GB, but buy a bigger SD card if you think you will need the space.
This lesson shows you how to create an SD card for your Raspberry Pi.

Learn more!

Updated Tutorial: All About LEDs @ Adafruit Learning System

This tutorial will cover those wonderful blinky things, LEDs. We’re going to cover how to calculate the current going through an LED and in the mean time introduce two important laws of electronics, Kirchhoff’s Voltage Law and Ohm’s Law. We’ll begin by performing experiments that will demonstrate how voltage and resistance affects current and then prove those results with a little math.

Learn More

This is my fourth video in a new series that will cover every aspect of the Adafruit Learning System Raspberry Pi WebIDE. If you didn’t catch the first video in the series, click here to learn how to install the Raspberry Pi WebIDE, then be sure to watch the second video which will give you a good overview of the basic features of the WebIDE. The third video covers the amazing visualizer tool.  Be the first to know when the next video is released by subscribing to the Adafruit Youtube channel.

If you want to learn more about the Raspberry Pi WebIDE, head on over to the Adafruit Learning System. We can’t wait to see the great projects you create with your Raspberry Pi and the WebIDE.

Each Friday is PiDay here at Adafruit, be sure to check out our posts, tutorials and new Raspberry Pi related products. Have you tried the new “Adafruit Raspberry Pi Educational Linux Distro” ? It’s our tweaked distribution for teaching electronics using the Raspberry Pi. But wait, there’s more! Try our new Raspberry Pi WebIDE! The easiest way to learn programming on a Raspberry Pi.

Want a FREE RASPBERRY PI? All orders over $350 get a FREE Raspberry Pi Model B with 512MB RAM!

We’ve updated the Adafruit Learning System with a new feature that should make it easier to gather all of the components needed to complete any particular guide.

Each guide contains a list of products that are used in order to complete the given steps.  Previously, you would need to go to each product page, and add individual items to your cart.  Now, as seen in the screenshot above, we’ve added the ability to add products directly to your cart from the guide you’re viewing.

We’ve also added the ability to add all of the products with a single button click!  A few of the benefits are to ensure that you’re getting everything needed to complete the guide.

Also, we’ve added the ability to be notified of products that are out of stock, even if you’re adding all of the products to your cart using the one button at the bottom of the list.

And finally, there is an easy link to get to the shopping cart from right within the Learning System.  This link is displayed anytime you have anything in your Adafruit shopping cart.

We hope these latest changes will make gathering the components to complete each each guide as easy as possible for you!

Updated Tutorial: USB + Serial RGB Backlight Character LCD Backpack @ Adafruit Learning System

Adding a character display to your project or computer has never been easier with the new Adafruit USB or TTL serial backpack! This custom-designed PCB sits on the back of any ‘standard’ character LCD (16×2 or 20×4 sized) and does everything you could want: printing text, automatic scrolling, setting the backlight, adjusting contrast, making custom characters, turning on and off the cursor, etc. It can even handle our RGB backlight LCDs with full 8-bit PWM control of the backlight. That means you can change the background color to anything you want – red, green, blue, pink, white, purple yellow, teal, salmon, chartreuse, or just leave it off for a neutral background.

Learn More

This is my third video in a new series that will cover every aspect of the Adafruit Learning System Raspberry Pi WebIDE. If you didn’t catch the first video in the series, click here to learn how to install the Raspberry Pi WebIDE, then be sure to watch the second video which will give you a good overview of the basic features of the WebIDE. Be the first to know when the next video is released by subscribing to the Adafruit Youtube channel.

If you want to learn more about the Raspberry Pi WebIDE, head on over to the Adafruit Learning System. We can’t wait to see the great projects you create with your Raspberry Pi and the WebIDE.

Each Friday is PiDay here at Adafruit, be sure to check out our posts, tutorials and new Raspberry Pi related products. Have you tried the new “Adafruit Raspberry Pi Educational Linux Distro” ? It’s our tweaked distribution for teaching electronics using the Raspberry Pi. But wait, there’s more! Try our new Raspberry Pi WebIDE! The easiest way to learn programming on a Raspberry Pi.

Want a FREE RASPBERRY PI? All orders over $350 get a FREE Raspberry Pi Model B with 512MB RAM!

Updated Tutorial: FTDI Friend @ Adafruit Learning System

Long gone are the days of parallel ports and serial ports. Now the USB port reigns supreme! But USB is hard, and you just want to transfer your every-day serial data from a microcontroller to computer. What now? Enter the FTDI Friend! Learn how to use the FTDI Friend with a Mac, PC, or Linux machine and much more!

Learn More

Adafruit’s Raspberry Pi Lesson 11. DS18B20 Temperature Sensing @ The Adafruit Learning System.

The Occidentalis Linux distribution for Raspberry Pi (and Raspbian as of Dec 2012) includes support for the DS18B20 1-wire temperature sensor. These sensors come in a small three pin package like a transistor and are accurate digital devices.

In this lesson, you will learn how to use a DS18B20 with the Raspberry Pi to take temperature readings.

Since the Raspberry Pi has no ADC (Analog to Digital Converter), it cannot directly use an analog temperature sensor like the TMP36, making the DS18B20 a good choice for temperature sensing.

Learn more!

OAdafruit’s Raspberry Pi Lesson 10. Stepper Motors @ The Adafruit Learning System. Control a stepper motor with a L293D or ULN2803 -

Stepper motors fall somewhere in between a regular DC motor (Lesson 9) and a servo motor (Lesson 8]). They have the advantage that they can be positioned accurately, moved forward or backwards one ‘step’ at a time, but they can also rotate continuously.

In this lesson you will learn how to control a stepper motor using your Raspberry Pi and the same L293D motor control chip that you used with the DC motor in Lesson 9.

The Lesson will also show you how to use an alternative driver chip, the ULN2803.

For this project, it does not really matter if you use a L293D or a ULN2803. The lower cost of the ULN2803 and the four spare outputs, that you could use for something else, probably make it the best choice if you don’t have either chip.

The motor is quite low power and suffers less from the surges in current than DC motors and servos (which use DC motors). This project will therefore work okay powered from the 5V line of the Raspberry Pi, as long as the Pi is powered from a good supply of at least 1A.

Learn more!

Adafruit’s Raspberry Pi Lesson 9. Controlling a DC Motor @ The Adafruit Learning System. Drive a DC motor forward and in reverse with variable speed -

This lesson describes how to control both the speed and direction of a DC motor using Python and a L293D chip.  In Lesson 8, we used the Pi to generate pulses to control the position of a servo motor. In this lesson we use pulses to control the speed of a regular DC motor and the L293D motor control chip to reverse the direction of the current through the motor and hence the direction in which it turns.

Learn more!

Adafruit’s Raspberry Pi Lesson 8. Using a Servo Motor @ The Adafruit Learning System.

This lesson describes how to control a single servo motor using Python. Servo motors are controlled by pulses of varying lengths. This requires fairly accurate timing. The Raspberry Pi has one pin that generates pulses in hardware, without having to rely on the operating system. Occidentalis includes an interface to make use of this pin for controlling a servo motor.

Learn more!

Adafruit’s Raspberry Pi Lesson 7. Remote Control with VNC @ The Adafruit Learning System.

In this lesson we will explain how to install and use VNC on your raspberry Pi. This will allow you to see your Raspberry Pi’s desktop remotely in a graphical way, using the mouse as if you were sitting in front of your Pi.

Connecting to a Pi like this can save on desktop clutter, and the problem of having multiple keyboards and mice all over the place. It also means you can put your Pi somewhere else on the network, but still control it.

Learn more.

Tutorial: Adafruit’s Raspberry Pi Lesson 6. Using SSH @ The Adafruit Learning System.

In this lesson you will learn how to remote control your Raspberry Pi over your local network using Secure Shell (SSH). A common reason for remote controlling your Pi from another computer us that you may be using your Pi solely to control some electronics and therefore not need a keyboard, mouse and monitor, other than for setting it up. It also can just save on desktop clutter, and the problem of having multiple keyboards and mice all over the place.

Learn more.

Adafruit’s Raspberry Pi Lesson 5. Using a Console Cable @ The Adafruit Learning System.

In this lesson you will learn how to remote control your Raspberry Pi with a console cable. The great advantage of connecting this way is that it can even supply the power for your Pi and you do not need keyboard, mouse or display attached to the Pi to log into it.

You will need to install terminal emulation software (ZOC) and also USB drivers for the Console Lead. ZOC is available for Mac and Windows and allows you to communicate through a serial port from your Mac or PC to another computer – in this case the Raspberry Pi.

The Raspberry Pi uses its built-in serial port to allow devices to connect to its console and issue commands just as if you were logged in.

In the next lesson, we will look at another way of doing much the same thing but over a local network using something called SSH.

Learn more.

Adafruit’s Raspberry Pi Lesson 4. GPIO Setup @ The Adafruit Learning System. Learn how to setup your Pi for Hacking Electronics!

One of the great things about the Raspberry Pi is that it has a GPIO connector to which you can attach external hardware.

Learn more!

Tutorial: Adafruit’s Raspberry Pi Lesson 3. Network Setup @ The Adafruit Learning System.

One of the first things that you will want to do is to get your Raspberry Pi connected up to the Internet.

In this lesson, you will learn how to:

• Connect using an Ethernet cable
• Use a WiFi adapter with both Raspbian and Occidentalis
• Find out the IP address of your Raspberry Pi

Learn more!

Adafruit’s Raspberry Pi Lesson 2. First Time Configuration @ THe Adafruit Learning System. Set up your Raspberry Pi for the first time!

In the first lesson of this series, we showed you how to prepare an SD card containing an operating system for your Raspberry Pi. In this lesson, we will show you how to setup your Raspberry Pi the first time you boot it up.

We do this using a tool called Raspi-Config that runs automatically the first time you boot your Raspberry Pi. This starts before the windowing system and so you have to use the cursor keys and Return key to navigate the menu system.

It is a bit like adjusting the BIOS settings on a PC, once you have things right, you probably won’t need it again.

We will start with the options that are most important and then look at some of the other options that you may wish to configure.

Learn more!

Adafruit’s Raspberry Pi Lesson 1. Preparing and SD Card for your Raspberry Pi @ The Adafruit Learning System. A new series of of tutorials here at Adafruit by the prolific Simon Monk!

When you buy a Raspberry Pi, it may or may not be sold with an SD card. The SD card is important because this is where the Raspberry Pi keeps its operating system and is also where you will store your documents and programs.  

Even if your Pi came with an SD card with the operating system on, it is a good idea to update it to the latest version, as improvements and bug fixes are going in all the time. Since putting the operating system onto an SD card wipes everything else off the card, it is worth considering using a USB flash drive for your documents, so that when you install a new version of the operating system, you dont’ have the complication of copying them off somewhere self before reformatting the SD card.

If your Pi did not come with an SD card then the minimum size you should get is 4GB, but buy a bigger SD card if you think you will need the space.
This lesson shows you how to create an SD card for your Raspberry Pi.

Learn more!

Tutorial: Stereo 3.7W Class D Audio Amplifier @ The Adafruit Learning System.

This incredibly small stereo amplifier is surprisingly powerful – able to deliver 2 x 3.7W channels into 3 ohm impedance speakers. Inside the miniature chip is a class D controller, able to run from 2.7V-5.5VDC. Since the amp is a class D, its incredibly efficient (over 90% efficient when driving an 8Ω speaker at over a Watt).

This amplifier is perfect for portable and battery-powered projects. It has built in thermal and over-current protection, but you really have to drive it hard before it even gets warm! This board is a welcome upgrade to basic “LM386″ amps!

Learn more and check out the Adafruit Stereo 3.7W Class D Audio Amplifier – MAX98306.

This is my second video in a new series that will cover every aspect of the Adafruit Learning System Raspberry Pi WebIDE. If you didn’t catch the first video in the series, click here to learn how to install the Raspberry Pi WebIDE. This second video will give you a thorough run-through of the main features of the WebIDE, and how to get started coding. Be the first to know when the next video is released by subscribing to the Adafruit Youtube channel.

If you want to learn more about the Raspberry Pi WebIDE, head on over to the Adafruit Learning System. We can’t wait to see the great projects you create with your Raspberry Pi and the WebIDE.

Each Friday is PiDay here at Adafruit, be sure to check out our posts, tutorials and new Raspberry Pi related products. Have you tried the new “Adafruit Raspberry Pi Educational Linux Distro” ? It’s our tweaked distribution for teaching electronics using the Raspberry Pi. But wait, there’s more! Try our new Raspberry Pi WebIDE! The easiest way to learn programming on a Raspberry Pi.

Want a FREE RASPBERRY PI? All orders over $350 get a FREE Raspberry Pi Model B with 512MB RAM!

OAdafruit’s Raspberry Pi Lesson 10. Stepper Motors @ The Adafruit Learning System. Control a stepper motor with a L293D or ULN2803 -

Stepper motors fall somewhere in between a regular DC motor (Lesson 9) and a servo motor (Lesson 8]). They have the advantage that they can be positioned accurately, moved forward or backwards one ‘step’ at a time, but they can also rotate continuously.

In this lesson you will learn how to control a stepper motor using your Raspberry Pi and the same L293D motor control chip that you used with the DC motor in Lesson 9.

The Lesson will also show you how to use an alternative driver chip, the ULN2803.

For this project, it does not really matter if you use a L293D or a ULN2803. The lower cost of the ULN2803 and the four spare outputs, that you could use for something else, probably make it the best choice if you don’t have either chip.

The motor is quite low power and suffers less from the surges in current than DC motors and servos (which use DC motors). This project will therefore work okay powered from the 5V line of the Raspberry Pi, as long as the Pi is powered from a good supply of at least 1A.

Learn more!

Adafruit’s Raspberry Pi Lesson 9. Controlling a DC Motor @ The Adafruit Learning System. Drive a DC motor forward and in reverse with variable speed -

This lesson describes how to control both the speed and direction of a DC motor using Python and a L293D chip.  In Lesson 8, we used the Pi to generate pulses to control the position of a servo motor. In this lesson we use pulses to control the speed of a regular DC motor and the L293D motor control chip to reverse the direction of the current through the motor and hence the direction in which it turns.

Learn more!

Adafruit’s Raspberry Pi Lesson 8. Using a Servo Motor @ The Adafruit Learning System.

This lesson describes how to control a single servo motor using Python. Servo motors are controlled by pulses of varying lengths. This requires fairly accurate timing. The Raspberry Pi has one pin that generates pulses in hardware, without having to rely on the operating system. Occidentalis includes an interface to make use of this pin for controlling a servo motor.

Learn more!

Adafruit’s Raspberry Pi Lesson 7. Remote Control with VNC @ The Adafruit Learning System.

In this lesson we will explain how to install and use VNC on your raspberry Pi. This will allow you to see your Raspberry Pi’s desktop remotely in a graphical way, using the mouse as if you were sitting in front of your Pi.

Connecting to a Pi like this can save on desktop clutter, and the problem of having multiple keyboards and mice all over the place. It also means you can put your Pi somewhere else on the network, but still control it.

Learn more.

Tutorial: Adafruit’s Raspberry Pi Lesson 6. Using SSH @ The Adafruit Learning System.

In this lesson you will learn how to remote control your Raspberry Pi over your local network using Secure Shell (SSH). A common reason for remote controlling your Pi from another computer us that you may be using your Pi solely to control some electronics and therefore not need a keyboard, mouse and monitor, other than for setting it up. It also can just save on desktop clutter, and the problem of having multiple keyboards and mice all over the place.

Learn more.

Adafruit’s Raspberry Pi Lesson 5. Using a Console Cable @ The Adafruit Learning System.

In this lesson you will learn how to remote control your Raspberry Pi with a console cable. The great advantage of connecting this way is that it can even supply the power for your Pi and you do not need keyboard, mouse or display attached to the Pi to log into it.

You will need to install terminal emulation software (ZOC) and also USB drivers for the Console Lead. ZOC is available for Mac and Windows and allows you to communicate through a serial port from your Mac or PC to another computer – in this case the Raspberry Pi.

The Raspberry Pi uses its built-in serial port to allow devices to connect to its console and issue commands just as if you were logged in.

In the next lesson, we will look at another way of doing much the same thing but over a local network using something called SSH.

Learn more.

Adafruit’s Raspberry Pi Lesson 4. GPIO Setup @ The Adafruit Learning System. Learn how to setup your Pi for Hacking Electronics!

One of the great things about the Raspberry Pi is that it has a GPIO connector to which you can attach external hardware.

Learn more!

Tutorial: Adafruit’s Raspberry Pi Lesson 3. Network Setup @ The Adafruit Learning System.

One of the first things that you will want to do is to get your Raspberry Pi connected up to the Internet.

In this lesson, you will learn how to:

• Connect using an Ethernet cable
• Use a WiFi adapter with both Raspbian and Occidentalis
• Find out the IP address of your Raspberry Pi

Learn more!

Adafruit’s Raspberry Pi Lesson 2. First Time Configuration @ THe Adafruit Learning System. Set up your Raspberry Pi for the first time!

In the first lesson of this series, we showed you how to prepare an SD card containing an operating system for your Raspberry Pi. In this lesson, we will show you how to setup your Raspberry Pi the first time you boot it up.

We do this using a tool called Raspi-Config that runs automatically the first time you boot your Raspberry Pi. This starts before the windowing system and so you have to use the cursor keys and Return key to navigate the menu system.

It is a bit like adjusting the BIOS settings on a PC, once you have things right, you probably won’t need it again.

We will start with the options that are most important and then look at some of the other options that you may wish to configure.

Learn more!

Adafruit’s Raspberry Pi Lesson 1. Preparing and SD Card for your Raspberry Pi @ The Adafruit Learning System. A new series of of tutorials here at Adafruit by the prolific Simon Monk!

When you buy a Raspberry Pi, it may or may not be sold with an SD card. The SD card is important because this is where the Raspberry Pi keeps its operating system and is also where you will store your documents and programs.  

Even if your Pi came with an SD card with the operating system on, it is a good idea to update it to the latest version, as improvements and bug fixes are going in all the time. Since putting the operating system onto an SD card wipes everything else off the card, it is worth considering using a USB flash drive for your documents, so that when you install a new version of the operating system, you dont’ have the complication of copying them off somewhere self before reformatting the SD card.

If your Pi did not come with an SD card then the minimum size you should get is 4GB, but buy a bigger SD card if you think you will need the space.
This lesson shows you how to create an SD card for your Raspberry Pi.

Learn more!

We have a new alpha release of the Rapsberry Pi WebIDE ready to go.  This latest version is primarily bug fixes, but it does have one new feature!  We’ve added the ability to create folders at all levels of your project to help with organization of those more complex projects.

The new changes for the 0.3.2 version of the WebIDE are as follows:

• Navigator: Add ability to create folders at all levels.
• Debugger: Fix display of local vs global variables.
• Terminal: Set terminal width based on containing parent, use entire width and height.
• Terminal: Resize browser window resizes terminal appropriately.
• Remove file creation and uploads in Adafruit repository (it would fail anyways) project

Also, 0.3.1 had been previously released with a single fix as follows:

• Fix for debugger hanging when stderr is written from script being debug.

Upgrading from 0.2.0 and higher

You can upgrade from 0.2.0 and higher from within the editor.  If you’d like the increased speed using the new node binaries, you’ll want to uninstall/install again.

1. Ensure that your code is safely saved in your repository at bitbucket.org.
2. Login to the editor.
3. Click Update in the upper right.
4. Update should take about a minute.

Upgrading From 0.1.9 and lower

To install this new editor, you’ll want to completely remove your old editor, and run the installation script again.

1. Ensure that your code is safely saved in your repository at bitbucket.org.
2. Uninstall using the following script
   1. curl https://raw.github.com/adafruit/Adafruit-WebIDE/release/scripts/uninstall.sh | sh
3. Either make sure there are no rogue node processes running, or restart your Pi.
4. Install the new and improved WebIDE
5. curl https://raw.github.com/adafruit/Adafruit-WebIDE/alpha/scripts/install.sh | sudo sh

Debugging with the Raspberry Pi WebIDE

The Raspberry Pi WebIDE includes an advanced, yet easy to use tool, to help you work through code that you’ve downloaded or written in Python.

If you haven’t used a debugger, either on the command line or in an Integrated Development Environment (IDE), hopefully this guide will help you understand why you’d want to do so, and how to effectively debug your code.

Learn more!

Each Friday is PiDay here at Adafruit, be sure to check out our posts, tutorials and new Raspberry Pi related products. Have you tried the new “Adafruit Raspberry Pi Educational Linux Distro” ? It’s our tweaked distribution for teaching electronics using the Raspberry Pi. But wait, there’s more! Try our new Raspberry Pi WebIDE! The easiest way to learn programming on a Raspberry Pi.

We now have Raspberry Pi Model B with 512MB RAM in stock and shipping now!

This is my first video in a new series that will cover every aspect of the Adafruit Learning System Raspberry Pi WebIDE.  The WebIDE is still in the early development phase, but we are rapidly packing in great new features, and squashing bugs.  Even though it is still in Alpha, this first video shows you how incredibly easy it is to install the WebIDE onto your Raspberry Pi.  The goal is to release a new video each Friday to cover a new feature of the WebIDE.

If you want to learn more about the Raspberry Pi WebIDE, head on over to the Adafruit Learning System.  We can’t wait to see the great projects you create with your Raspberry Pi and the WebIDE.

Each Friday is PiDay here at Adafruit, be sure to check out our posts, tutorials and new Raspberry Pi related products. Have you tried the new “Adafruit Raspberry Pi Educational Linux Distro” ? It’s our tweaked distribution for teaching electronics using the Raspberry Pi. But wait, there’s more! Try our new Raspberry Pi WebIDE! The easiest way to learn programming on a Raspberry Pi.

Want a FREE RASPBERRY PI? All orders over $350 get a FREE Raspberry Pi Model B with 512MB RAM!